Non-contact laser scanning works by the process of laser triangulation. In this process, a laser stripe (or line) approximately 2 ½ inches long is projected from the laser head onto the surface to be digitized. The CCD cameras, at a known distance from the laser, then capture the light from the laser beam as it reflects on the part. Through trigonometry, the XYZ co-ordinates of the stripe can then be calculated. Depending on software settings and the sensor used, up to 650 individual data points can be gathered from a single laser line. The object that was scanned will now be represented by these points, commonly referred to as a 'point cloud', numbering from a few thousand points up to possibly a million or more. The number of points scanned on a part will depend on the size and amount of detail the part has. The more detail, the higher the number of points necessary to describe the part.

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The sensor shown at the right is mounted to a Laser Design, Inc. Model 3500 laser scanning machine. This machine is CNC programmable, which makes it very easy to scan large batches of parts. Once the operator sets up the scan path for the machine to follow (usually less than a five minute process), he is freed up to do other things while the machine is scanning. With small intricate parts it may be necessary to set the machine to a small step over, such as 0.001”. Larger parts might take advantage of the machine’s 24”x24”x30” work envelope and 600 lb. weight capacity. Even larger parts can be scanned if necessary by ‘staging’ the part through the volume and running multiple scans.

Benefits of laser scanning:

Laser scanning shortens the digitizing process by collecting the data at a much faster pace than conventional measurement techniques.  Scanning with the laser eliminates the issues relating to cosine error, deflection, mechanical probe offsets, and probe size and/or shape.

Non-contact laser scanning allows materials that would be difficult to digitize on a CMM; such as clay, fabric, wood, foam, plaster, glass, and flexible plastics; to be scanned without damage to the surface of the object.  Some laser scanners are highly portable, see the On-Site Services page for more details.